Aileen Cannon Assigned to Trump Suspect’s Case: What We Know

Federal prosecutors formally charged Ryan Routh Tuesday with the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump following his arrest at Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course on September 15.
The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who in July dismissed a separate criminal case charging Trump with illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. The district judge was appointed by Trump in 2020.
Routh, 58, was allegedly found with a loaded AK-47-style rifle near the sixth hole, where Trump was expected to arrive. He also faces charges for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and for tampering with the firearm’s serial number.
The indictment had been foreshadowed during a court hearing Monday in which prosecutors successfully argued for the 58-year-old Routh to remain behind bars as a flight risk and a threat to public safety.
Prosecutors claim Routh “stalked” Trump for over a month, with cell phone data placing him near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence and golf course multiple times between mid-August and his arrest.
They also alleged that Routh had written of his plans to kill Trump in a handwritten note months before his arrest in which he referred to his actions as a failed “assassination attempt on Donald Trump” and offered $150,000 for anyone who could “finish the job.”
The arrest came just two months after Trump was shot and wounded in an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. While the Secret Service acknowledged shortcomings in the lead-up to that incident, they stated that security measures successfully prevented a similar attack in Florida.
Initially, Routh was charged in a criminal complaint with illegally possessing a firearm despite multiple felony convictions, as well as possessing a gun with an obliterated serial number. It’s common for prosecutors to file preliminary charges immediately after an arrest and add more serious offenses as the investigation unfolds.
Although the FBI initially said it was investigating the case as an assassination attempt, the lack of immediate charges to that effect prompted Republican Governor Ron DeSantis to launch a state-level investigation, which he claimed could result in more severe charges.
The investigation has uncovered additional troubling details about Routh’s background. Originally from North Carolina, Routh has a criminal history dating back to the 1990s, including a 2002 felony conviction for possessing a “fully automatic machine gun” and a 2010 felony for stolen goods. His record also includes misdemeanors such as carrying a concealed weapon, speeding, and driving with a revoked license.
Routh’s political views also appear to have played a role in the plot. He was critical of Trump online, despite having initially supported him during the 2016 election. Routh also publicly supported Ukraine in its war with Russia and traveled to Kyiv in 2022, where he attempted to join the country’s military.
Despite his history, Routh’s son described him as a “good person” who was non-violent, expressing shock at the charges.
Before the attempted assassination charges were officially filed, Trump criticized the Justice Department on Monday, accusing them of “mishandling and downplaying” the case by initially filing what he called “slap on the wrist” charges.
Cannon oversaw a federal criminal case against Trump in 2023, in which the former president faces 40 charges for allegedly mishandling sensitive materials after he left the White House in 2021, storing them at Mar-a-Lago. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him, calling it a “political witchhunt.”
The district judge dismissed the case in July, ruling that Special Counsel Jack Smith’s appointment was unconstitutional.
Cannon faced two blows within two weeks as Republicans and Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington (CREW) called for her removal from the classified documents case and a new report alleges she failed to disclose her attendance at paid seminars on three occasions.
Cannon received heavy backlash recently after some Republicans alleged that she mishandled former President Donald Trump’s classified documents case and urged a Florida appeals court to remove her from the case, as Newsweek previously reported.
Update: 9/24/2024, 7:20 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with more information. The headline on this article has been updated.